


The Rise of the Resistance

by ReyNobody



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22185031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyNobody/pseuds/ReyNobody
Summary: Here is my wish fulfillment version of The Rise of Skywalker in the form of a poorly written summary. (Sorry not sorry!) It loosely follows the events of the movie with some major changes. Maybe someday I'll go back and flesh this out, but for now the itch is scratched! Enjoy! Or not. I wrote it for me!
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	The Rise of the Resistance

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has nothing to do with Galaxy's Edge. The title was just a coincidence and I don't feel like changing it.
> 
> 5/28/20: I changed the final fight a little bit.

Kylo Ren takes over the First Order. He goes system to system, planet to planet, trying to locate what’s left of the Resistance. Death and destruction follow him. Hux tries to reel him in. What can a rag-tag group of hopeless losers accomplish against the First Order? They should focus their efforts on rebuilding their own losses and bringing order to the galaxy by taking advantage of their position. Everyone in the galaxy fears the First Order. They think all hope is lost. Now it’s time to rebuild the government the First Order way. And soon they will have the fire power to do it. Kylo force holds him and reminds him that the Resistance has Rey… And his mother. The longer they are out there and able to regroup, the more likely they will rebuild hope in the galaxy and Kylo’s quest for ultimate power will be threatened again. What Hux (and everyone at this point) doesn’t know is that when Kylo killed Snoke, Snoke’s spirit attempted to possess him. Kylo can barely contain Snoke’s power. Snoke has become a voice in his head pushing him deeper into the dark side. They grapple for control over Kylo’s body. From the outside, Kylo seems to be descending into madness… But no one can stop him or resist him because he’s so powerful with the force.

Poe, Finn, Rose, Chewie, and BB8 are on a mission to get a message from a First Order spy. The message contains information about a new type of canon being developed that is small enough to mount on a Star Destroyer, but powerful enough to decimate planets.. The prototype is nearly complete and the First Order intends to test it soon. They are pursued, but manage to escape by light speed skipping.

The Resistance is hidden well. Leia is training Rey in the ways of the force. Leia had trained with Luke when she was younger, but never completed her Jedi training because she felt her skills were more suited for politics than fighting. She believes that Luke had the right idea, albeit a little extreme. Maybe it is time for the Jedi end. Too far on either side is dangerous and cultish. This has been proven true over and over again. It’s time to stop repeating history. What the galaxy needs is balance and people who are force sensitive to defend that balance. With Leia’s guidance, Rey is making progress… But it’s going slower than she’d like. She can feel Kylo’s power and rage increasing. Leia says she feels it, too. But now is not the time for fighting. Now is the time for survival and healing. Rey needs to get stronger. The Resistance needs to get stronger… Before they can face Kylo and the First Order again.

Rey is attempting to mend the kyber crystal from Luke’s light saber with the force. She has meditated over the two pieces countless times. No matter how hard she tries or how long she meditates, she is unable to make the two halves whole again. She is at her limit. She puts the pieces of the crystal in a pouch around her neck and goes to Leia to expresses her frustration. How is she supposed to complete her training and face Kylo again without a saber? She says she’s going do some physical training with her staff and leaves. Leia looks conflicted. She goes to her personal quarters and carefully unlocks a storage box. She moves a few things around then gently lifts something out that’s wrapped in cloth. She opens it to reveal a saber. She holds it in her hands, that same conflicted look on her face. Then she holds the hilt in one hand and ignites it. It glows a piercing blue. Her expression changes to a firm resolution. She extinguishes the saber and carefully conceals it in her robes before leaving her quarters.

Rey does a physical training run through the forest. She is in her element. It’s clear that she is very skilled and even when she slips up she recovers quickly. The run does her good. It quiets her mind more than meditation ever does. By the end she seems much calmer. As she emerges from the forest, Leia approaches her with something to say, but they are interrupted by the Falcon returning to base. It’s on fire. Rey has words with Poe and Chewie. Poe says they could have used Rey out there. Finn steps in to diffuse their tempers. Rose insists she can fix it. BB8 greets R2 and 3PO enthusiastically. It’s a cheerful reunion, if only for a moment.

Things get serious when Leia asks if they have any news from the spy. They review the information about the planet destroying canon.. A mini Death Star for every Star Destroyer.. It’s a terrifying concept. There is a rumor that the prototype is being built on Exegol, a hidden world once ruled by the Sith. Rey remembers reading about such a place in Luke’s journals. She finds the entry that describes a Sith wayfinder that Luke had once looked for in hopes of finding the planet. Only two remain in the galaxy. Luke writes that there is a clue to find one of them hidden on Pasaana, but there are no more entries about it after that. Leia comments that the First Order must have located one of them.. They only have a 50/50 chance that the one Luke mentioned is not the one in the hands of the First Order. It’s risky, but what choice do they have? After some debate and a quip about the odds by 3PO, Leia approves a mission to Pasaana.

Rey goes to talk to Leia alone. She explains that she needs to go with her friends this time. Leia says she understands, but that Rey shouldn’t go without a saber. Rey is confused.. They have no saber. Leia takes out the saber she recovered earlier and presents it to Rey. She explains that it was hers when she was training with Luke. In the end, she decided that her heart wasn’t in it and that she could be more useful as a politician. She wants Rey to have it. Rey hesitates, making a gesture to hand it back to Leia saying that maybe one day she will be worthy to wield it. Leia gently pushes the saber back to Rey and insists she already is. Rey embraces Leia and thanks her. Leia tells her to not be afraid of doing what is right.

Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, Chewie, BB8, and 3PO take a discreet ship to Pasaana to avoid drawing attention to themselves. There is an amazing local festival taking place. They try to lie low while searching for information about the Sith wayfinder. Rey has an encounter with a charming local child. The child gives her a string of beads and puts it around her neck. A moment later, Rey finds herself in a force bond call with Kylo. Kylo comments on how it’s been awhile.. That Rey must be away from Leia. Foolish.. Rey realizes then that Leia has been concealing her from Kylo with the force this whole time. A skill Leia has been trying to teach to Rey, but she has not yet mastered it. Kylo still isn’t able to see Rey’s surroundings, but he is able to snatch the necklace off her neck though the force. Kylo disappears as Rey stumbles back.

Kylo hands the necklace to a uniformed woman and tells her to get the necklace analyzed. When the woman responds, it’s clear who she is. Piecing blue eyes and a burn scar across her face reveal her identity. It’s Captain Phasma.. She is now a general. She looks badass. She has a shiny metal robot arm or something cool like that.

Rey quickly finds her friends. She tells them what happened and that they need to get out of there before Kylo figures out where they are. They scramble through the crowd, but it’s too late. Transports full of Storm Troopers arrive and start combing the crowd. Just as they are spotted, a cloaked figure waves them into a covered ground transport. They all pile inside. The cloaked figure reveals himself to be none other than Lando! They’re a bit starstruck for a moment before explaining their situation. Lando remembers Luke’s desire to find the wayfinder and explains the clue. A bounty hunter was said to have an artifact that would lead them to the location of the wayfinder. He tells them where to find the bounty hunter’s abandoned ship. They thank him and tell him they could use him. That Leia would be so glad to have him. He seems reluctant, but they give him coordinates to the Resistance base anyway.

The group tumbles out of the ground transport and head into the desert. It’s not long before they are spotted again. They steal a couple of speeders. Rose is the one who hotwires them. There is an exciting chase scene! They barely get away. They find the bounty hunter’s ship. Rey makes a comment that it looks familiar.. but they are thrown from the speeders by an explosion and fall into quicksand before they can reach it. They think this is the end.. Finn tries to tell Rey something, but is swallowed up before he can finish. The whole group is swallowed up, but the sand drops them into some caverns below. They’re all accounted for and okay. They explore the caverns and discover the remains of the bounty hunter. Rey finds a dagger with Sith writing on it. It gives her chills. She hands it to Chewie for safe keeping. Their path out of the cavern is blocked by a huge snake creature. Instead of trying to fight it, Rey tames it with the force and it lets them pass.

The group emerge from the caverns only to find that Kylo’s troops are closing in on them. Their only hope of escape is the bounty hunter’s ship. Rose and Poe jump into getting it started while the others look around for useful parts. BB8 finds a little droid and reactivates it. 3PO explains that its a communication droid capable of sending and receiving encrypted long distance, sub-space messages. It would be a useful asset to the resistance if it’s still operational. Rey tries to talk to it, but its’ speech center is damaged.

Before Rey can do more she senses Kylo. She leaves the ship to face him. There is a dramatic scene where Rey jumps over Kylo’s ship and disables it with Leia’s light saber. Kylo emerges from the wreckage to face Rey in person. Meanwhile, the group has gotten the ship running thanks to Rose’s genius. They send Chewie out to tell Rey to hurry and come back. Before Chewie can get to her, he is overwhelmed and captured by Kylo’s goons. Kylo and Rey have a brief fight. Kylo is taken aback by the saber. Where did she get it? Surely she didn’t make it.. Did she make contact with a Jedi he doesn’t know about? Kylo demands that she joins him. She says she’ll never do it. The ship starts to take off. Finn calls to her from the hanger door. Poe makes a daring maneuver over the fight. Rey grabs Finn’s outstretched hand and they fly off.

Rey blames herself for Chewie’s capture. They want to go rescue him, but they have to go back and fetch the Falcon first. There’s no way they can catch up to the First Order ships in the junk bucket they took from Pasaana. Not to mention they need fire power or their effort will be a suicide run. Rey is also upset that the dagger is lost and is likely now in Kylo’s hands. 3PO mentions that he read the inscription. The group begs him to translate it, but he says his programming forbids him to speak or translate the Sith language. Rose says she can extract the translation from 3POs memory, but that it would cause a complete memory wipe. 3PO stoically offers himself up to the cause. Rose says maybe she can work around the memory wipe with R2’s help. 3PO seems relieved. They decide to wait until they get back to base.

The trip back is slower than they would like. The hyper drive is buggy. Rey and Rose do what they can to keep it running while Poe and Finn work on plotting the best course back to base to avoid detection from the First Order. Finn takes a break at some point and has a sit with Rey. Rey asks him what he wanted to tell her before. He seems uncomfortable, talking around the point a little bit before he says he thinks he’s force sensitive. Rey smiles. She felt it, too. Maybe he could join her in training with Leia. Finn seems unsure. Rey asks him what’s wrong. He admits that he’s afraid to let the force in. What if he turns bad like Kylo? He was a Storm Trooper.. Rey almost laughs. She says that’s not possible. Finn is the kindest, most empathic person she’s ever met. She tells him to not let his past hold him back from his future. She knows how hard it is, but they can do it together. Poe calls back to Finn saying he needs his help again with navigation. Rey tells Finn to think about it. Finn smiles and says he will.

The little droid they found bumps into Rey’s leg. She looks down at it and smiles. It’s been following her around like a puppy. It seems like it wants to tell her something, but Rey can’t understand what it’s trying to say. Rose notices and takes a look at it. She does a quick rewire to fix its speech center. Rey asks the droid’s name. It says D-O. D-O says it has a message for her. Rey is bewildered. For her? From who? The little droid plays a hologram message of a woman. Her clothes are tattered and she looks very, very scared. She talks quickly, glancing over her shoulder several times. She says she’s in trouble. She says she has a daughter. Her name is Rey. She was sold to slavers. There was nothing she could do. There’s no hope for her.. But Rey… Please help her. She’s on Jakku. Please get her back.. She’s so sorry. She never told…. Han Solo… about their daughter… Rey……. The message cuts off abruptly.

Rey flashes back to being a child.. Her mother is franticly kissing her face and telling her to be brave. They are both crying and clutching to each other. A masked bounty hunter rips Rey away from her mother. Her mother tells her to stay on Jakku. That she’ll get a message out for help. Stay on Jakku. Don’t leave. Someone will come for you. Be brave..

Rey snaps out of it when Rose touches her arm. Rose looks at her with a mix of surprise and deep sympathy. Rey pulls her arm away sharply. At that moment, Poe says they’ve made it back to the base.

As soon as they land, Rey hops from the junk ship and runs off. Rose calls after her. Finn and Poe look concerned. Rose explains what happened. They bring the droid to Leia and ask it to replay the message. Leia is stunned. She never knew.. But she’s not surprised. She recalls a time when she and Han were separated that would have been the right window for Rey to have been conceived. She doesn’t recognize the woman and she certainly didn’t know that Han was Rey’s father. Leia goes to find Rey.

Rey is in the forest. She uses Leia’s saber to slash down trees and brush. She looks angry, tears streak her face. No wonder she felt a connection to Han. No wonder his death was so overwhelmingly painful. But he betrayed her. He didn’t come for her. He didn’t want her. He left her to rot. Kylo had lied, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. Rey drops to her knees and extinguishes the saber, sobbing openly. Leia walks up behind her. Rey turns to her and asks angrily if she knew. Leia says she did not. Rey stands and lets Leia envelop her in a tight hug. Leia pets her hair and tries to soothe her. Rey asks her why Han never came for her. Why didn’t he tell her. Surely he must have figured out who she was when they were together. Leia doesn’t have an answer.

Rey emerges from the forest. Her tears are dried. Her face is determined. Her friends look sympathetic, but she waves them away. She says, “Let’s get Chewie.” The friends pile into the Falcon. Rose and 3PO stay behind so Rose can work on extracting the Sith translation with R2’s help. Rey uses her connection with Kylo to her advantage to figure out where Chewie is being held. Kylo tries to use Chewie as leverage to lure Rey to him. He doesn’t know that this is what Rey wants. The friends find Kylo’s ship and board it all too easily. Poe and Finn don’t like it. It feels like a trap. Rey says it will be okay. She tells them where to look for Chewie and then splits off to distract Kylo and find the dagger.

Poe and Finn find Chewie and try to make their way back to the Falcon. They are captured by Hux and Phasma. Hux instructs Phasma to take them to a hanger and have them executed. Phasma complies and brings them to an empty hanger. Finn, Poe, and Chewie are about to be executed when Phasma asks if she can have the pleasure of doing it herself. One of the Storm Troopers hands over their blaster to her. She turns the blaster on the Storm Troopers and reveals that she is the spy. She has been a spy and feeding information to the Resistance ever since Finn defected. Finn’s actions triggered something within her. It made her question everything. That’s why she turned off the shields on the Star Killer base. That’s why she threw the fight on Snoke’s ship. She was rescued by some other First Order deserters after the destruction of Snoke’s ship. They gave her medical aid and got her accepted back into the First Order as a high ranking war hero. She has many regrets, but she’s trying to atone for them now.

Rey plays cat and mouse with Kylo through the ship. She ends up in Kylo’s quarters and recovers the Sith dagger. He finally figures out where she is through their force bond when she ignites Leia’s saber to defend herself and accidentally destroys the pedestal on which Darth Vader’s mask rests. He corners Rey in his quarters.

Finn, Poe, and Chewie make it back to the Falcon with Phasma’s help. Phasma says she’s coming with them. They wait for Rey, but she doesn’t appear. Finn says something is wrong. A feeling.. Finn says she’s in trouble and they have to help her. Chewie and Phasma stay to get the Falcon ready for take off while Poe and Finn go to find Rey.

Rey and Kylo have a brief saber fight before Kylo force holds Rey and probes her mind. She tries to resist him, but the power he gained from Snoke overpowers her. He learns that Rey’s saber belongs to his mother. He also learns about the message Rey got from D-O. This shocks him so much that Rey is able to push back and break free from his hold. He composes himself quickly saying that he knew Han would disappoint her… His sister….. It all makes sense now. Their bond was more than just Snoke’s influence. Kylo again offers his hand to Rey, asking her to join him. No one will ever understand her pain like he does. Rey is venerable. She is tempted for a brief moment..

The door blasts open, Poe and Finn burst into the room. Finn shoots Kylo in the shoulder which snaps Rey out of it. Finn says they have Chewie.. They came back for her. It’s time to go. Rey leaves with them and doesn’t look back. Kylo and his goons pursue them to the hanger. Rey, Poe, and Finn barely make it onto the Falcon. Chewie punches it and the force of the engines blasts all the Storm Troopers back. Kylo uses the force to stay on his feet. Hux runs in to Kylo’s side. He notices the burn from the blaster on Kylo’s clothes and remarks that he’s wounded. Kylo says it’s nothing and tells him to get his ship ready. Rey took the dagger. He knows where they are going. It’s time to end this.

The friends make it back to base. When Phasma walks off the ship she is recognized and the fighters turn their blasters on her. Leia walks through the crowd and tells them to lower their weapons. Phasma salutes Leia respectfully. Leia thanks her for her help. Everyone relaxes. Rose runs up to her friends. She has the Sith translation. They worriedly ask about 3PO. 3PO walks up with R2 and says he’s okay! And he’s so happy that his friends care so much about him. The friends review the translation. It tells them where to go to find the Sith wayfinder. It’s on Kef Bir and there are coordinates. It also mentions something about a red gem pointing the way.

While the friends prepare to leave, Rose takes Rey aside and tells her that she also worked on D-O. She has more information about her mother’s message. Rey goes stone faced. She’s not sure she wants to hear what Rose found, but allows her to continue. Rose tells Rey that the message her mother recorded was never sent to Han. D-O had been damaged before it was able to send the transmission. Rey takes this in. She doesn’t know how to feel. Her anger towards Han is replaced by a deep, aching grief. He was her father. He didn’t know. And Kylo took him away from her. Rey starts to cry. She leans into Rose who hugs her tightly.

The friends take the Falcon to Kef Bir. They are met by a group of First Order deserters. All former Storm Troopers. When they realize who Finn is they are a bit dazzled. He was the one who inspired them to leave the First Order. Finn tells them why they have come. They give the coordinates to the leader, Jannah, who leads them to a cliffside overlooking the rough ocean and the wreckage of the Death Star. Rey studies the dagger, meditating on it, then lifts it up. She scans the wreckage and eventually lines up the crags on the edge of the dagger to the crags of the Death Star. Rey lowers the dagger and looks at it. There must be something more. A red gem.. A red gem… She runs her fingers over the hilt and notices pointed area that’s dirty. She rubs it with her finger and reveals a pointed red gem. She fiddles with the gem until a curved piece of metal slides out. She holds up the dagger again. The gem seems to be pointing to a round window on the wreckage. Rey says she thinks she knows where to go.

Jannah says they should wait until the sea is calmer in the morning, but they have no time to lose. The longer they take, the more likely it is that Kylo will find them. The friends take the Falcon over to the wreckage, but the waves are so high and the wind so intense that they can’t land. They drop Rey off as close to the goal as possible. Finn wants to go with her, but she tells him to stay behind. She has experience with big wrecks and is confident she can get in and out without too much trouble. She says she’ll figure out a way to signal them when she find the wayfinder. She gives Finn a knowing look and he understands.

Rey carefully takes in her surroundings, plotting the best course to where the wayfinder is hidden. She uses all of her skills she learned from scavenging on Jakku to climb the formidable wreckage. At least Jakku was dry.. She slips and scrambles on the wet metal. As she gets closer to the wayfinder, she feels the force reaching out to her. But it’s twisted. Dark.. She shakes her head, trying to focus. She can hear her own screams from when she was left on Jakku as a child. She hears the sounds of a sabers swinging through the air and clashing together. She hears voices. It gets stronger the closer she nears her goal. It takes all of her willpower to resist it. When she reaches the chamber, she pauses. A terrible evil had sat here once. She shivers as she approaches a door in the chamber. It opens for her. She steadies herself and steps inside…

Rey is immediately slammed with a series of dark visions. She is forced to relive her abandonment on Jakku. She sees her mother’s death at the hand of the bounty hunter who sold her. She is bound on the Star Killer base being tortured by Kylo. Han Solo’s death. Snoke assaulting her. She sees her friends fall one by one… So much torment. So much death. So much anger.. So much.. Too much… She stumbles back. Someone is standing behind her. She whirls around and sees herself. The part of herself that is tempted by the dark side. Black robes, a dual-ended red saber. Her worst nightmare. Rey instinctively ignites Leia’s saber. She fights the dark vision of herself in a flurry of frantic attacks. She doesn’t want this. She won’t submit. Her friends are counting on her. Rey calls upon the force and she manages to defeat her shadow. When her vision clears she is standing in a chamber with the wayfinder suspended on a pedestal in front of her. She grabs it and turns to leave only to find Kylo standing in the doorway.

Rey isn’t sure if Kylo is real or a vision for a moment. She goes on the defense, but Kylo doesn’t make a move. He tries to appeal to her to join him, saying this is the final time he will offer. He says he’s her family. The only family she has left. Rey says no. Kylo will never be her family. She has a family. The one she chose. And she will fight for them until the end. Kylo says if she won’t join him, then she must die. He will kill her and all of her friends. He force grabs the wayfinder from Rey and destroys it. Rey is shocked. All that hard work and running around.. It was all for nothing. Kylo ignites his saber and descends upon Rey.

The fight is brutal and intense. The two end up outside on a sliver of wreckage. The powerful ocean waves break over and around them. Rey uses every move, every trick she can think of, but is unable to get the upper hand. Kylo seems possessed and unwavering. His shoulder doesn’t seem to be injured anymore. He is too powerful.. Rey falls back, going on the defensive. No.. She can’t die. Not now. Not here. Her friends need her. The galaxy needs her. Rey breathes in the power of the force. She remembers Leia’s words about balance. She finds her feet. She grips her saber. Leia’s saber. She knows what she has to do. Kylo thinks he has won and is being reckless. Rey uses this to her advantage and waits for an opening. She disarms Kylo, his saber whirling away into the sea. She crouches then strikes.. She feels Leia’s anguish from across the galaxy as her saber runs Kylo through.

Kylo drops to his knees. He glares up at Rey with pure hatred in his eyes. He slumps over, dead. Rey falls to her knees in front of Kylo. Tears stream down her face.

Finn looks up. Something is wrong. Rey is in trouble. Pain.. Grief… He alerts the others that it’s time to go find Rey. They ask how he knows and he says he just knows. His expression is dead serious so they don’t question him any further. They fire up the Falcon and fly over to the wreckage. As they approach, they see Kylo’s ship flying away. Before they can pursue, it jumps to hyperspace. Gone. Just like that. They assume Rey has been captured, but don’t know where to start looking for her. They need Leia. She might be able to locate her with the force. They meet back up with Jannah who’s entire group has agreed to join the Resistance. They all head back to base together.

When the friends arrive, they immediately try to find Leia. They run into Lando. They are surprised and delighted to see him. They ask where Leia is and his face falls. She went into her chambers and asked to be alone. The friends explain to Lando that they think Rey has been captured. Lando delivers this news to Leia. Leia allows them inside. She is sitting on her bed. She draws herself up with as much dignity as she can, but it’s clear she has been crying. She tells the friends that her son is gone. Killed. By Rey. The friends take this in. Finn asks if she knows where Rey is. Leia says that Rey has to face what she has done alone, but that she is safe.

Leia smooths her hands over her face. She says there is still work to be done. The First Order will retaliate. Without the wayfinder, they don’t know where the planet killer canon is. They have to be ready. They have to find allies. Leia stands, swaying a little. Lando steadies her. If a message won’t inspire their allies to join them, she will do it in person. Lando starts to protest, but Leia won’t have it. He offers to be her escort instead. Chewie says he’ll go, too. Leia appoints Poe as acting General in her stead and instructs him to get everyone ready for battle. The time to fight has come.

Rey takes Kylo’s ship to the Jedi island on Ahch-To. She has a rough landing which disables the ship and stumbles from the wreck in obvious distress. She makes her way to the remains of the Jedi tree and knees before it. She holds Leia’s saber in her lap. She says she doesn’t know what to do. Rey feels a presence and looks up. Luke’s force ghost stands before her. All of Rey’s fears and anguish pour out of her. She didn’t want to kill Kylo.. Ben… She fears that Leia will never forgive her. She can’t return. She can’t face her. Luke places his hands comfortingly on Rey’s shoulders. He tells her that she did what had to be done. She did the right thing. The only way to save Ben was to free him from his mortal body. Death humbles a person. He knows.. Leia knows… He explains that when he was training Leia in the ways of the Jedi that she had a vision of her son’s death at the end of her own light saber. Leia had hoped that by putting the saber away that she could prevent his death. She hid it away for many years, but recently went to fetch it. Rey takes this in. Leia had given her the saber knowing full well that it would be her son’s demise. She knew it had to be done.

Even with this information, Rey can’t shake the deep shame she feels. She couldn’t bring Ben back from the dark side. She couldn’t save him. Her brother.. She couldn’t save her parents. She couldn’t save the her friends. The Resistance… The galaxy….. Luke tells her to stop being stupid. The fight isn’t over. She has what she needs. Luke reminds Rey that there were two wayfinders… And she has Kylo’s ship.

Rey recovers the intact wayfinder from Kylo’s ship, but the ship is beyond her capability to repair alone. She’s unsure what to do.. She hadn’t intended on going back to the Resistance. Luke says he has one more lesson for her. He takes Rey to where his old x-wing rests on the sea floor. Lifting things again.. Of course. Rey uses the force to raise it out of the water.

Rey has one last thing she wants to ask Luke. She takes off the pouch around her neck and tips the two halves of Luke’s crystal into her hand. She says her efforts to fix it have failed. Luke tells her she’s thinking about it all wrong. He says she’s been trying to make the two halves whole again when what she should be thinking about is balance. Life.. Death.. Joy.. Pain.. Light.. Dark…. Rey considers the crystals for a moment and then a flicker of realization crosses her face. Luke smiles knowingly and disappears. Rey whispers a thank you after him.

Poe does his best to rally the Resistance, but it’s very overwhelming. How does Leia do this with so much grace and calm? There has been no word from Leia or Rey for several days. What if they’re both lost? Poe isn’t sure he can do this on his own. Finn notices that Poe is barely keeping it together and tries to help him as much as he can. Finn reassures him that it’s okay to ask for help and that everyone is behind him. Poe asks Finn to be his co-general. Just then, Rose runs up to them. They’re getting a transmission on all frequencies from an x-wing. It’s a map. Finn says it’s Rey. She must have found the wayfinder. She’s showing them the way. She’s showing everyone the way. Poe and Finn grapple with what to do next. Rey is heading into the belly of the beast alone. They want to go back her up, but they don’t know where Leia is. If she’s coming with reinforcements, maybe it would be best to wait. But.. What if they don’t come and they lose Rey? The pair makes the call to launch.

Rey arrives at Exegol. Rey hops down from the x-wing. She is armed with her staff, Leia’s saber, and Han’s pistol. She knows she should probably wait for backup, but something is calling to her.. Drawing her in. She enters a strange, formidable fortress and lets her feelings lead her deeper and deeper inside. She eventually comes upon what looks like a throne room. There is a huge, stone chair in the center. As Rey approaches she sees someone sitting on the throne. They are wearing all black. A deep hood obscures the figure’s face. Rey shivers. The figure stands and draws back the hood. It’s Kylo. Rey says no… You died. How..

Kylo goes into a monolog about how Rey did indeed kill Ben Solo… But that is exactly what he wanted. Ben was the last shred of light left in his dark apprentice. Ben’s death allowed the body’s true host to rise to the surface. He is Snoke. He is the embodiment of the dark side. He is all Sith. He is emperor. Death can no longer stop him. Soon Rey will be dead and the Resistance will be obliterated. Terror and darkness will reign over the galaxy. Rey snaps back that he won’t get away with it. The Resistance knows where Exegol is and they will come with back up. There is hope left in the galaxy and they will come. They will take out the canon and bring down the First Order once and for all.

Kylo/Snoke laughs and says that Rey has lead all of her friends to death. A whole fleet of Star Destroyers are currently being outfitted with the planet destroying canons. One has already been deployed and is heading towards its first target. The moon where the Resistance is hiding. Rey’s face falls. Kylo/Snoke steps down from the throne. He says the only thing left to completely destroy all the light in the galaxy is to rid it of its last beacon of hope… He ignites his lightsaber and descends upon Rey.

Rey quickly grabs her staff and takes a defensive stance. She flicks two switches on the handle and two blue blades ignite from either end. They are each about half the length of a regular saber. She finally figured out what to do with Luke’s kyber crystal! She raises one end to meet Kylo/Snoke’s offensive blow. The fight progresses quickly. It’s clear that Rey is much more skilled with her saber staff than she ever was with a traditional lightsaber, but Kylo/Snoke is equally matched.

Kylo/Snoke sees a flaw in Rey’s saber design and takes advantage of it by trying to strike Rey in such a way that she has to defend herself with the middle of the staff rather than the end. His ploy works and he slices the saber in half. The two blades go out. Rey steps back, but seems unfazed. She quickly adjusts her grip on the two halves and ignites the blades again. She continues the fight as if she had anticipated this very scenario. They exchange increasingly intense blows until Kylo/Snoke decides he’s had enough of this dance.

Kylo/Snoke force grabs Rey and lifts her off the ground. He says the canon has reached its destination. He’s going to make her watch.. He shows her a vision of the Star Destroyer approaching the moon where the resistance base is located. It fires and the moon is ripped apart. Rey manages to choke out a no. She struggles against Kylo/Snoke’s power. She pushes back with all that she has. Kylo/Snoke smiles wickedly. Such power. He wants it for his own. He starts to draw the very life force out of Rey.

Just then, there is an explosion. The roof of the throne room shatters, raining debris and rocks down on Kylo/Snoke and Rey. Kylo/Snoke puts out his arm and force blasts the debris away. In doing so, he releases his hold on Rey who drops and crumples on the ground. The two halves of her staff extinguish. Ships streak across the sky above the hole in the roof. It’s the Resistance! Their decision to go after Rey saved all their lives.

Poe commands the small fleet of Resistance fighters from his x-wing. He sees the Star Destroyers in various states of being outfitted with canons. He instructs the fleet to take out as many of the canons as they can. Every one destroyed is a planet saved. The fleet goes to work. The First Order fights back, sending out numerous tie fighters. The Resistance is outnumbered and become overwhelmed. Poe starts to lose his nerve… He sends out a message to fall back.. He thought they could do it, but they can’t…… Then, Leia’s voice cuts him off through his intercom. She says she didn’t take him to be a quitter. Poe turns about to see the Falcon flanked by hundreds of ships and more arriving every moment. Leia apologizes for the delay, there was a Star Destroyer they had to take care of first. Poe whoops with joy. They have a fighting chance now.

Kylo/Snoke rages. He did not anticipate this… But no matter. He has all the power of the Sith behind him. He tells Rey to watch carefully.. This is the power of the dark side. He lifts his arms and roars as he shoots force lightening out of his hands and into the sky. It streaks across the sky to every Resistance ship, disabling them. Rey watches helplessly as they start to plummet.

Rey feels someone approaching. She pushes herself up and sees Leia striding towards her. She wants to call out to her to stay back, but she can’t find her voice. Leia reaches Rey and helps her to her feet. Rey feels her strength returning in Leia’s presence. Leia says it’s time to finish this and holds out her hand. Rey understands and hands Leia’s saber to her.

Leia ignites the saber and looks up at Kylo/Snoke. She immediately looks away, closing her eyes tightly for just a moment before opening them again. It hurts her to see her son’s face… But it’s not him. It’s not him… She steels herself for the task at hand. She makes herself known and Kylo/Snoke turns to look at her. His face is wild, twisted, evil… He pulls one hand away from the sky and directs a blast of force lightening at Leia without hesitation.

Leia puts up her saber with both hands. The saber crackles and spits as the force lightening hits it. Leia slides back several feet. She slides to a stop and adjusts her footing. She closes her eyes and grits her teeth. She takes a step. Then another… Stunned, Kylo/Snoke takes his attention off of the Resistance fleet and uses both hands to direct force lightening at Leia. Leia cries out, but she doesn’t lose her ground this time. She pushes back with all her might.

Poe and the fleet are free from the lightening and recover quickly. They redouble their efforts and start gaining ground on the First Order.

Rey realizes that Leia can’t do this alone. She recovers the two halves of her staff and ignites the blades. She steps beside Leia and uses her dual blades to direct some of the force lightening away from her mentor. Together they are able to start advancing on Kylo/Snoke.

Kylo/Snoke pushes all of his power into the force lightening. He’s not going to let an old woman and a nobody scavenger defeat him!! But Rey and Leia don’t back down. They keep stepping closer and closer. Finally, with a final push, the two manage to deflect the lightening off of their sabers and back at Kylo/Snoke. It hits him square in the chest and obliterates him. In an instant, he’s gone…

Leia collapses, unconscious. Rey cradles her and tells her to hang on. Lando and Chewie arrive. They came to see what was happening. They help Rey carry Leia out. They look up at the fight as they head toward the Falcon outside the Sith fortress. The Resistance fleet is making quick work of the remaining tie fighters. The final canons are being taken out. They’ve won!!

The Resistance fleet regroups on Takodana. Everyone is celebrating. Poe and Finn kiss! (Finally!) The generals catch up with Rose and the droids. Finn asks where Rey is.

Rey is sitting away from the festivities with Leia who is laying on a cot in a room abuzz with medics and the wounded. Leia is still unconscious, but alive. Rey holds her hand tightly. She quietly begs Leia to come back to her. Leia’s eyes flicker and she looks up at Rey. Her gaze is soft and sad. Leia embraces her and they both cry. Lando and Chewie, who were sitting nearby, jump up when they see that Leia has regained consciousness. As more people gather around their beloved general, Rey slips away. As she walks outside, Finn, Poe, and Rose spot her. They run over and embrace her in a crushing group hug. They did it. They’re safe. Rey’s family.. The family she chose. The family that came back for her. The family that loves her.

Some time has passed. Rey and Finn are outside of Maz’s cantina sparing with sabers. Rey with her pike and Finn with Leia’s saber. They heckle each other and are having a good time. Leia watches on with a small smile on her face. The two finish their bout and go to sit with Leia. Finn goes to hand Leia’s saber back to her and she waves her hand, shaking her head. She tells Finn to keep it. She doesn’t need it and he’s proven himself a thoughtful and passionate student. Finn is stunned by the honor and thanks Leia. Poe and Rose come out to meet them. They all talk and laugh animatedly. Rey watches them fondly. This is where she belongs.

THE END!


End file.
